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Show 130 HICJL\IW II Ull lJIS. CJJA l'TEll XVII. AMONG I'I'J'S ANU 'J'H,\I'FA LLS. " 111c11nl my~d f JWoeluim\l· And, by 1he hnppy lwllow of~ h•cf' ;!;acnpe~l tile ! Junt. Ko port. is ft:ec,' no place. J IU!t gunt'll nnllmost. llltusunl Yigilnnce Doc.s not. ntt cud my l.tlking. ' Vhile 1 mn 'sen )C I Will prc.<;CI'YC 111y!!clf." Y I ' .~· ,. , Jl.wg Lear. 1 111~ next dny opened bright nnd L . to resume our j ourney 0 . f' jl eautJfu l, and we prepared themselves to us sine~ III o ow-cltmnberers had not shown night at the tavern 'l 'lou_r_ ~-~~ptu re; tltcy ltad not slept tlwt . lOll ~lUsencc g·tvc s L t r I at the time, thouglt we d's . ] f ' . u u 1tt e concern ile in fl uence lljJOn our J.coveJCl n torward tll::tt it Jwd no lit-my companion held a d::li~~·cmcnts. I ]~ave a lre.ady said that 'l'uscaloo~a, for some hundrc~T:::<t / l•:tn lll tile nc•giLbor~IOOd of ~~ule wluch lie J~:td soli! to him durlit~ dollnl s, tl~c pn cc of a lo collect this debt hail been the onl nb tl~c. p~·cvJOHs ~cason. ~~ fnr from our d irect route, whiclt {l.:notn c for carry mg us lhc -~an's name was .Matll•ew ' VeLb .'.cl Lee~' to Chochumn. condtt!On we kuew nothin•~ save Cl ' of Ins cltara ctcr and supposed to be doing well b ' T l \hat he was a snwll farmer before, wltcn due was l"ttb . . tat JC ltad not paid the money the ultimate pay:nont of· 't ;~.~~~~ . uufavomiJlc l'ymptom; Lut of lie was secured by tl . ' d I .:un had not the slightest doubt. •e m orsed pro · f a gcn,l~cman of some wealth, who Jl·:::tsc o a Colonel Cmfton, fr?m I uscaloosa, in tlLc direction dr (: ted a.Lout fourteen miles mtlcs from the road 'l'l olumLus, but fully clc\"en we proposed to ri:lc. tl "tl•cre was a sllOrt cut to lliS house, and u 10r and obt · 1· . the debtor. He had once b G .am c 1rccl!ons for finding ter knew all about him . Occn 1 rafton's overseer and the htl- . ur andlord, who hnd grown ci"il AMONG PITS AND 'IltAPFA LLS. 131 enough to us, and who was really a very good sort of body when taken in tl1c grain, freely gave us proper instructions for finding our road by the short cut. Of Grafton he spoke with kind no$:; and respect, but I conld not help observing, when we iuquircd aflC'l' "\Vcbbcr, that he evaded inquiry, and when rcpC'alcd, s11ook his hca.d and turned away to other customers. He evidently k new enough to think unfavorably, and his glance when he spoke of the man wa.s uneasy and suspicious. Finding other (jl!Cstions unproductive, we l1ad om horses brought fo rth, ]Jaid our charges, and prepared to mount. Our feet were already in the stirrups, wh en the landlord followed us, saying abruptly, but in n. low tone, as he reached the spot where wo stood: - " Gentlemen, I don't know much of the people whom you seck , Lut I know but little that is Yery favorable of the country into which you're going. 'I'nkc a hint before starting. lf you haYC anytl1ing to lose, it's easy losing it on tl•e road to Chochmna, and the less company you keep as you tnwel, the better for your saddle-bags. l'>erhaps, too, it wouldn't be ami::;s, if' you look at your pistols before you start." lie did not wait fo l' our answer, but returned to l• is bar-room and other avocations as if his duty was ended. \V c were both surprised, Lut I did not cure to reject l1is warnings. ' Villiam lauglLeJ. at tlie gravity of the advice given us, Lut l saw it with other eyes. If I was too suspicious of evil, I well knew that my companion was apt to err in tl1e opposite extreme-l1c was imprudent and thoughtless; and, in recklessness of courage only, prevented a thousand evil consequences wh ich had otherwise occurred from his too confiding nature. "Say nothing now," I observed to him-" but let us ride t ill we get into tl10 woods, then sec to your pistols." " l)sl1a.w, Dick," was his reply,'' what do you snS}Ject now 1 'l'lw pistols have been scarcely out of sight since we left home." "'l'hey have been out of sight. VVe left them alwnys in tho chamber when we went to meals." "'l'ruc, but for a few moments only, and th en all about tho l10USC wore at meals also." "No; at breakfast yesterday those gamblers came in a fter us, and 1 tl1ink then they canto from our chamber. Besides, though |